Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-01-29
lTetropoIltan Journallsna

MGlEA htD-AALA 0eA4A--A-aa-AAs
Joe Howard, the well-mown New
York journalist, has never written truer
words than those IN which he describes
the leading papers OF New York es en-
gagged In disgusting rivalry to I'LL their
columns with that which Is sensational,
demoralizing,. and vile. Here is the
mirror which he holds for the benefit OF
himself and his fellow workers Of the
metropolis:
ga few weeks ago 1900 people as
sembled In one of the largest halls we
have TO listen to addresses by Bishop
Potter, BY Red Cloud, by General Arm
/ strong, principal OF the Hampden Insd-
tuts, and by several well-educated Iudi.
ans. The hall was packed, the meeting
was spirited, the addresses were enter
tainingly instructive, and movement In
| the direction Of Indian rights was iniita-
/ ted, which bids fair to have great wide
/ spread national results. The same even
/ ing q little foui-mOuthed tailor addressed
perhaps a hundred socialist agitatOrs
men who were not citizens, a majority Of
whom are not engaged IN any occupa-
ton whatever except that Of agitation IN
a hall back OF a lager beer saloon on
Third avenue. In the papers OF the city
the following morning appeared from
one-half a column to a column Of this
fellows trade, and IN one or two news
papers appeared photographic allusion
to the meeting addressed by the bishop
and his associates. That Is a fair lllu
tratiOn OF the way in which the news
papers Of the city treat the two classes
of thought and Gction. Anything that
H is dirty, mean, wrong, contrary to the
contrary to the public good, Is written
up, described at full length, made
piquant and interesting, but matters
which tend toward the elevation OF the
race, which look to the cleansing Of our
city, which take hold of the solid sub
stantialities OF the people, are passed by,
either in absolute silence or with para
graphic attention.
1 Remember many years ago, when
was city editor of the New York Times,
and lived in Brooklyn; my mother wrote
me from the country, where she was
spending a few months, that stranger
. who judged Of Brooklyn by what ap-
peared under the head Of Brooklyn
news, would imagine thar there was
> nothing in the city of churches except 6
~ u
! stations, and a mOrgue. In other words
crime has the call. No city IN the world
surpasses New York In intelligence, IN {
love Of all that is good and pure and no
BILE and decent and humane, but with The
exception Of a few idiotic reports Of ser
: mons, with now and then a record o
some English lecturer or Irish orator, al
! the upper realm is left untouched. Oul
I reporters are instructed to scent the car
riOn. Fney never bring the rose witt
q its perfume, or the lily with its grace. o
the pansy with its dropping beauty be
fore the public attention; but the deaC
r dogs Of agitation and the swollen car
cases Of crime, and the offal OF dirt anC
: squalOr-these are thrust before the dis
gusted eyes and under the offended POs
/, trils Of an amazed and outraged people.
Z New York invented this bad style o
journalism, and has developed it, doubt
? less because it pays. 1t has been cOpie,
s by the press Of the great cities OF tn
? land, with few honorable exceptions
+ Chicago, Cincinnati, st. Louis, and Sal
7 | Francisco rival, and sometimes surpRss
!, the worst that New York has to Offel
r and Of ''pot-metal pictures" has bee
. added to the horrors of journalism. TIL
& pens which do the literary work for hir
3 are frequently rs bright as that Of 10
4 Howard, and the men who WELD ther
3 recognize the nasty character Of the wor
. which this competition for carriOn call
for. But that there will ever be a chang
a so long as the reading public is willin
n to pay for the carriOn, is not probable.